We track 7 splash pads in Minneapolis — the best-served city in Minnesota. Every one of them is free.
Peak summer highs in Minneapolis average 83°F — warm enough for a splash pad through most of the season without being punishing at midday.
| Month | Average high |
|---|---|
| June | 78°F |
| July | 83°F |
| August | 80°F |
The things that decide a trip with small children — a toilet, some shade, somewhere to sit — are exactly what listings usually leave out. Across the 7 pads in Minneapolis:
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A 2020 renovation replaced Currie Park's old wading pool with one of the largest splash pads in the Minneapolis park system, with both upright and ground-level spray features. Updated restrooms sit right beside the pad, and a big open playground and soccer fields round out the Cedar-Riverside park.
✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season
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On the north end of Lake Hiawatha, this hybrid wading pool has a zero-depth end lined with water jets and whimsical spraying cattails, reaching about two feet at its deepest. Plenty of shaded seating and a sand play area at the neighboring tot lot keep little ones busy.
✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season
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Often called the Minnehaha Falls splash pad, Wabun pairs a zero-entry pool that tops out around two feet with bubblers and an arched spraying rock structure. An adjacent adaptive playground and shaded picnic pavilions make it one of the most popular family spots in the city.
✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season
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Waite Park in Northeast Minneapolis showcases the park board's newer hybrid design, blending a zero-entry wading pool with interactive spray features under a dedicated shade structure. Local parents frequently rank it among the city's best mixes of pool and splash pad.
✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season
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Phelps offers a wide-open spray deck anchored by a central mist feature ringed with run-through water jets. Recently updated play equipment and the park's sports fields make it a full-afternoon destination in south Minneapolis.
✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season
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This pocket park on the southern edge of downtown Minneapolis is one of only three official MPRB splash pads. The spray area shares the square with a playground and basketball court, making it an easy urban cool-down stop.
✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season
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The interactive fountains at this downtown green space next to U.S. Bank Stadium are compact but handy for cooling off between events. The park layers in summer programming like markets, live music, lawn games and food trucks.
✓ Last confirmed for the 2026 season
Know a splash pad we're missing in Minneapolis?Add it to the guide.